Although it can be hard to imagine Lynch as anyone but Luna Lovegood, she's actually a three-dimensional human being with her own origin story. Lynch is a native of Ireland, specifically of Termonfeckin, a small village in County Louth, according to The Irish Times. She has three siblings, and her parents were educators by profession. 

By all accounts, Lynch's early years were serene, though she says she was painfully shy. She grew up Catholic, and as she told The Irish Times, "close to nature and surrounded by cows and sheep," which sounds idyllic and almost from another time. She also studied speculative fiction and drama — and, of course, she loved the Harry Potter books. Lynch was also pen pals with J.K Rowling herself. Lucky!

But not everything was easy for her, as she was hospitalized by age 11 for anorexia, and spent two years in and out of clinics. Fortunately, she eventually got healthy enough to stand on her own two feet once again.